Friday, October 17, 2008

Halloween Countdown: Star Wars

After haunted houses were banned at our church Halloween carnival, we had to get creative. That's when theme rooms started popping up. I got the idea after a group of folks did a half-hearted version for a Wednesday night kids event. So, a bunch of us including my girlfriend at the time (Leia in the pic) put together a Star Wars room.We covered the entire room with black polyurethane to start. At the entrance we had the kids crawl thru a box to enter. Part of the floor was covered with foam (under the urethane) for a bouncy feel. Once in the room, they moved left where we had a computer panel that slid candy down the chute into their bag. Continuing around the room, they were able to meet Darth Vader (me), Princess Leia, and Yoda. We had the soundtrack playing on a record player, a mirror ball shooting stars all over the room, and spaceships hanging from the ceiling. Last but not least, just as they were about to exit, they got Reece's Pieces from E. T. I know, not a Star Wars character but still part of the outer space theme. E. T. was a last minute addition since one of our friends, clocking in at 4'11" knew a lady who had created this E. T. costume. How could we say no?Needless to say, it was a big hit. We had long lines all night long. It was fun. All it takes is a little creativity and a little more elbow grease to create a cool experience for kids on Halloween. And it need not be scary.I can't believe I said that.